The Merchant of Venice as a Romantic Comedy - Critical Analysis

The Merchant of Venice as a Romantic Comedy - Critical Analysis

1690 WordsSep 25th, 19997 Pages

We can trace the origin of Comedy to Dionysis- the Greek God of Wine who was hilarious, satirical and irreverent in spirit. Ben Jonson in Volpone' (1605) that is considered to be the greatest comedy in English epitomized the classical spirit of comedy. Shakespeare was aware of the classical tradition by the chose to follow the Roman tradition of Petrarch and Boccacio.
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<br>Shakespeare's early comedies were classical in spirit but the later ones were more emotional, fanciful and humorous. The Merchant of Venice' falls between there two categories. It leads the list of mature comedies; has more Romantic characteristics than classical. It is also one of the earliest productions of the middle period. In this play Shakespeare seems to…show more content…

However one might argue that Lorenzo right from the start talks about "how I shall take her from her father's house, What gold and jewels she is furnished with", while Bassanio talks about a "fair lady richly left" to whom he "swore a secret pilgrimage". Later his speech does raise a lot of questions when he says that plainness moves him and we are all ware of his love for show. The impulse of true loves moves his to choose the lead casket! But we should not use too much of logic and accept it as part of a Romantic Comedy.' The Merchant of Venice' is informed with the idea of love's wealth and how love is about giving away and not shutting and rejecting.
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<br>There was also a predominance of young people in Romantic comedies and many pairs of lovers and multiple marriages were present. Most of them were set on a foreign canvas and dealt with either business or domestic affairs of the Merchant class. Venice was probably an evocative name for the Elizabethans and was a source of inspiration. Shakespeare presented a Venice that lived in the Elizabethan mind and it was a city of rich merchants and gentlemen in silks. And then he gave the picturesque environment of Belmont and the starlit garden at the play's end. The exotic locations could also be a reflection of the tremendous development that was talking place in navigation and exploration during the European Renaissance.
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<br>The Shakespearean Romantic' heroine combined a heart of exquisite sensibility

Performance Analysis of T he Merchant of Venice
Jordan Thomas Mullineaux-Davis
William Shakespeare has regularly throughout time been referred to and could be viewed as anti-Semitic because of the cultural implications within many of his plays. A particularly strong example of this could be The Merchant of Venice. This essay will explore arguments of post-colonialism within The Merchant of Venice, discussing the pertinent issues of anti-semitism, racial isolation and prejudice. It will also comment…

The romantic comedy, How to Be Single, made its debut to the big screen on February 12 of 2016, raking in over $18,750,000 in the United States and making a gross profit of $48,813,366 as of April 8, 2016 (IMDb, 2016). Given an ‘R’ rating due to an immense amount of sexual content and strong language throughout, the film was also full of many popular celebrities who made up their cast and crew. Some of which include Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson (Alice), Pitch Perfect’s Fat Amy or Rebel…

Preconceptions
In both Merchant of Venice, by Shakespeare, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, identities, prejudices, and judgements are constantly put to the test. Shylock and Portia, who originally identify strongly with their Jewish ancestry are subject to prejudice and judgement, ultimately causing them to change their concepts of identity to conform to society. Similarly, the Creature is judged for his physical appearance, causing him to grow angry when he is exiled by society. Both novels seem…

Analysis of The Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice" is based on a
simple enough plot, but it gives a more complex view of the characters
involved. It portrays each characters attitude, opinions and actions
and shows how they affect the other characters.
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Shylock is perhaps the most noteworthy character. He is centred on
most of the play's events. Throughout the…

pound of flesh from Antonio, but that it was just skin removed from his back. This gruesome image was what I was waiting for during my entire reading of the play. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case. Also, I found out 'Comedy' means 'Happy Ending.' And that 'Happy Ending' means 'No One Gets Their Skin Cut off for Defaulting on a Loan.'
But I found the work to be not as comedic and happy as that ending implies. This is a happy ending if you identify and sympathize with…

does Shakespeare explore the themes of love and hate through character in the play “The Merchant of Venice”?
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice contains many themes and elements that could be considered timeless. Shakespeare effectively explores the themes of love and hate through character in the play which is a play of two parts. One part follows the fortunes of Bassanio, a friend of the Merchant, Antonio, in his attempts to win the hand of Portia, the rich and beautiful heiress of Belmont…

Darius Bruno
ENG2D1-03
Mr. Connelly
April 25, 2016
Down In Venice
The novel The Merchant of Venice is an interesting play about how people dealt with money. Money has a very important role in this book because it helps the story develop and progress. They use money in different ways in the story; they are used in commerce, debt and in a will. Money is a very important asset in life, but every character has their own view on money, which then dictates their actions throughout the story…

2015
The Merchant of Venice: Comedy or Tragedy?
Intro:
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a perplexing story of dark humor, race, religion, identity, love, and justice. Generally, most people understand The Merchant of Venice as a comedy about a bitter and outcasted Jewish moneylender named Shylock who seeks revenge against a Christian merchant who has failed to pay his loan back. However, there are many different perspectives on whether The Merchant of Venice is a comedy or a tragedy…

million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Shylock is the core of all ripples. He lashed out against the prejudice that was thrust upon him and is considered evil for doing so. The Merchant of Venice brought together different characters of different religions. Shakespeare used characters in this play to reflect sixteenth century views on Christianity and Judaism…

In "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare, Shylock is portrayed as an attractive villain. It is the relationship between Shylock and Antonio, Shylock and his daughter, Jessica, and his selfishness through his attitude to material possessions that make him an attractive villain, he is portrayed as an attractive villain, and I am going to look at the extent that this is true in "The Merchant of Venice."
Shylock is portrayed as a stereotypical Jew which is one of the aspects that makes him…